New Geophysical Evidences of Fluid Related Features in the Western Ionian Sea–Part II: Data Interpretation

Abstract: The investigated area is located in the western Ionian Sea, which is an area widely occupied by the external front of the Calabrian Arc. It is characterized by a very rough morphology of the seafloor mainly induced by the thrusting and back-thrusting activity. Such a tectonic regime is extremely favourable for the presence of gas and related fluid migration. New processed line MS-24 and swath-bathymetric data highlighted the presence of positive structures at the seafloor interpreted as mud volcanoes. Along the seismic profile we have also recognized a high amplitude reflector that, although it corresponds to a stratigraphic horizon, it shows an anomalous high amplitude character. The seismic velocity field shows evidences of free gas occurrence and so it cannot be excluded the hypothesis that the high amplitude reflector could be a “bottom simulating reflector–BSR”.